Jana Erwin

I’m sitting in my office with the doors open, overlooking the pool and listening to the birds chirping happily nearby.  We have had unusually fresh, crisp weather in Texas this spring so I am soaking up these days while they last.  The view of the water and the fresh air makes for a relaxed work day yet I find myself distracted, reminiscing of our trip to the Amalfi coast.  The view from the property we stayed at has the same vibrant blue of my pool.  All that is missing is a cold Prosecco in my hand.

Janette and I love to travel with all our family to places that will inspire us and keep our creativity nurtured. The Amalfi coast of Italy did not disappoint. 

We hired a driver to maneuver us along the very narrow and winding coast.  This turned out to be one of the best decisions we made as we saw large buses getting stuck in the tight turns and Vespas whipping their way in and out of traffic.

We first travelled south down the coastline to a quaint town called Positano. It’s mostly blocked off to the traffic and has great shopping.  Of course we also squeezed in some “photo ops.”

Once we were back at our house getting ready for dinner I noticed an old woman tending to her garden.  I’m not sure “garden” is even the correct word since it is several tiers and has massive amounts of lemon trees and tomatoes.  I later learned that she is the owner of the property we stayed at and also the restaurant below.  They used fresh ingredients picked daily with every meal. The house and restaurant is now run by her grandchildren and she could not be more proud of the lifestyle they built from scratch for her family. At the end of each meal we would toast with Limoncello.  It is a local liquor made from the lemons growing around the property.

After a great nights sleep we were ready for a day at the beach. The rocky beach is hot on the feet which helps the transition into the cold water of the Mediterranean. We eventually got used to it but it would always take your breath away the first time you jumped in. The salt in the water is so abundant you leave feeling as though you have been at the spa.

A trip to Italy would not be complete without a cooking class! We went to a beautiful, organic farm and learned authentic Italian cooking. We picked the herbs, tomatoes and zucchini from the garden before beginning to roll out our fresh pasta.

And of course, at the end of the class we enjoyed the fruits of our labor and saluti with Prosecco!

Until we meet again Italy…….arrivederci!

I cannot think of Christmas without reminiscing on the time we went to the Arctic Circle in Santa’s hometown of Rovaniemi in Lapland, Finland. As soon as you step off the plane you can tell that you are somewhere magical. The whole town is in character from the shop owners to the bus drivers, ensuring you feel the Christmas spirit. I hadn’t even left the airport when I made my first purchase of a gorgeous reindeer coat with a fox hood. You must be fashionable when we go to see Mrs. Claus, of course. Also, I needed to be sure I would stay warm during our stay at the ice hotel!

We stayed in Santa’s Village in a cute little house right on the property.

The illuminated blue line on the light posts marks the beginning of the Arctic Circle.

I know what you are thinking, we have all seen Santa sitting in his big chair in the middle of the mall with lines of children waiting to sit on his knee. That is not the experience here. When he calls you by name you enter into his living room and you get to spend some time with him, chatting and asking any questions that you’d like. He even told us that his favorite cookie is not a cookie at all but that he prefers porridge!

As with all my travels, I like to plan a little extra adventure while we’re there. I had never been on a snowmobile so I decided this was the perfect time. It was so much fun and the scenery was beautiful. We did this in the middle of the afternoon but as you can see in the picture, it looks like dusk. This was the most light we saw all day and it didn’t last long. Winters on the Arctic Circle are spent mostly in the dark. If you are wondering if it is cold the answer is YES! I was wearing snow gear from head to toe with another outer layer of coveralls provided by the tour guide.

The reindeer in Finland are highly respected and are raised in the wild. They are only hunted when the people need food and clothing. Our guide let us know that it is customary in Finland to use boots made of reindeer pelts because it keeps your feet warmed than any shoe we use today. I had hoped we would see the Aurora Borealis on our sleigh ride, and although we didn’t, we saw more stars that I knew the sky could even hold. They seemed close enough to touch! Our night came to a perfect end with a warm fire and hot cocoa.

Next, we left Santa’s village for a night in the snow hotel! This is a once in a lifetime experience. We ate dinner on an ice table, drank from an ice cup, danced on an ice floor and slept on an ice bed. I was expecting it to be uncomfortable but it was the best night of sleep I had all week. The walls of each room are made of packed snow three feet thick. It was a quiet that I had never experienced before; I mean TOTAL silence. The sleeping bags kept us warm and toasty.

If all this wasn’t enough, I had just one more item on my bucket list, dog sledding! This was more adventurous than I was expecting. These dogs mean business and they take their jobs very seriously. Driving the sleighs takes focus and courage. These dogs can really move and they must stay equal distance from the sleigh in front of them or you get slack in the line and the dogs get all tangled up. It was amazing to witness!

After all this rugged outdoor adventure I was ready for the flight back to Helsinki to stay in a five-star hotel with crisp white sheets and a stocked bar. It was the perfect winter wonderland experience.

I found myself standing in the center of Rome, looking around and imagining all that this mega city has seen. It was hard to even wrap my mind around it. The never-ending stream of Vespa’s weaving through the narrow lanes of traffic gave the city a fast-paced feel. Still, there is something ‘easy’ about it, almost like a flow.

We spent several days in the heart of Italy; hitting the necessary tourist attractions before making our way to the coast for some much needed “r and r.”

Janette and I travel together, along with our families, and prior to our adventures we would fantasize about being so inspired during the vacation that we’d whip out our sketchpads and start creating new lines of jewelry on the footsteps of monuments. We have come to discover that is not how it works for us. Of course, new adventures inspire newfound creativity, just not always in that exact moment. The truth is that traveling takes us out of our daily routines and our familiar environment and turns our senses back on, even elevating them to new levels. We are able to store the inspiration and we can access those memories at anytime. We will pull from this knowledge when we are back in the office, our kids at school, husbands at work, and we have the conveniences of home at our fingertips.

We may not always have the breathtaking view of Italy in front of us but we will always have the memories.

As soon as I feel the first dip in the weather my mind switches over to all things Fall. I’m ready to pull out my boots and sweaters, eat heartier comfort foods and drink something that will warm my soul. Nothing does that better than a “wee dram” of Scotch Whiskey. I was educated on the topic while living in Scotland. I toured many distilleries and learned the intricacy of a well- made Scotch.

Every Autumn, Scotland hosts the Speyside Whiskey Festival in the heart of Whiskey Country. You can ride the Whiskey Train from Keith to Dufftown viewing the beautiful Scottish Highlands along the way.

Arriving at this century old rail station was as though I had stepped into the scene of an old, romantic movie. The trains were all original. Our conductor was friendly and wore an old hat and pocket watch. He spoke to us freely but we just smiled as we could only understand a few words through his thick accent.

The first distillery we toured was Strathisla, pronounced Strath – eye – Luh. We know this distinctly because we were having trouble locating it and when we asked for directions no one understood these crazy Americans who were saying Strath – is – luh.

Just look at this architecture. Stunning. Obviously, the form followed the function of the space needed in the distillation process but the beauty of the architecture was one of the things I loved most about Scotland. Even the simplest of structures were beautiful because of the stone artisanship.

I can honestly say I had never really thought of what went into the process of making Scotch Whiskey. Just as wines gain their character from the region the grapes are grown, or the type of barrel they are aged in; Scotch Whiskey gets it subtleties from the malting process.  Peat that has been dried into bricks is used as the heat source for drying the damp malt over the fire, which brings the smoke into the barley grain. The more time drying, the more smokey flavor is achieved.

After the tour of the distillery we had an official tasting. Scotch is always served with a side of water. This drastically changes the taste. Next time you order your Scotch on the rocks taste it neat then add splashes of water until you find your desired flavor.

Our last stop was the Glenfiddich Distillery. Right next door was a field with Highland Cows and a castle in ruin. We could not help but to go explore.

We ended our day with a short walk into Dufftown where we wandered into a local pub for some fish and chips and of course Scotch!

It would take a novel to recap the experience I had in just one week of being in Israel. The layers of these lands are literally, figuratively and spiritually entangled in history, mystery and controversy. Unlike my other travels where I painstakingly researched every detail to know the best place to stay and what to do, this vacation was planned by a group of my friends and I just showed up really not knowing what to expect. Let me tell you, they did not disappoint!

The view of the ocean against the stark white architecture is stunning. The ruins we saw imprinted a new picture in my mind of how the people lived. We saw their homes, marketplaces, temples and bathhouses. We could even walk on the same streets they walked on over two thousand years ago. Grooves from the carriage wheels have been worn into the stone. There was true artisanship in making things not only functional but also beautiful.

We visited tombs dug out of the rocky hills. They ranged from simple to ornate depending on the families financial means. We also spent a day on the Sea of Galilee. I imagined it to be a vast ocean but in reality you can see from shore to shore. After cruising the serene waters we went to a local restaurant and had fresh caught fish!

This was my first time in the desert and I could see no other logical thing to do than to ride a camel. It was also the last time I wore those adorable African Horn Teardrop Earrings since I somehow lost one getting off of it. Israel will forever have a little piece of NEST jewelry somewhere in the sand. Hope it doesn’t throw off the archeologists. ?

After a quick dip in the healing waters of the Dead Sea, we went to see where the Dead Sea scrolls were found at Masada National Park.

The Garden Of Gethsemane is at the foot of the Mount of Olives. It has a handful of ancient olive trees dating back to 1092 A.D.

The market was a lively place full of color and scents of fresh baked bagels. These are traditional bagels, which look and taste completely different from what we call a bagel in the states. These are more like a French bread with sesame seeds on top. And there is no cream cheese! They top it with olive oil and dried hyssop (which is similar to oregano). Delicious! I enjoyed my bagel with a tall glass of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice.

My advice for anyone seeking a trip to Israel is to find a good guide. Without the knowledge of the history and the different religious beliefs one could really miss the essence of this amazing place.